What technology is the best fit for your law firm?
As with most professional service providers, legal professionals have a tendency to fall into the “If it ain’t broke…” camp. But over the past two years, attorneys have been put in a position where choosing not to implement new legal tech isn’t really an option anymore.
In this article, we’ll explore how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected law firm technology decisions, share essential steps to take and questions to ask when evaluating technology for attorneys.
The Impact of COVID-19 on Legal Tech
According to a 2020 survey from Aderant, only about one in four law firms were “completely prepared” for full-scale remote work at the onset of the pandemic. Now, in 2022, law firms are facing new challenges, depending on how they initially responded to the shift to remote work.
Firms that adopted new solutions are discovering redundancies and are realizing they need to reevaluate their systems. Even firms that had a seamless transition to remote work now have the opportunity to streamline and optimize their systems.
Whichever category your law firm falls into, it’s the perfect time to identify where new tech investments are needed and which of your existing solutions can be retired.
Selecting the Right Type of Law Office Technology Choosing which law office technology to use in your practice is a huge decision. Here’s just a snapshot of some of the different types of legal tech you can choose from:
-
• Accounting
• Billing / Accounts Receivable (AR)
• Client Portals
• Client Intake / Client Relationship Management (CRM)
• Document and Records Management
• Document Automation
• Legal Research
• Payment Processing
• Practice Management
Of course, not every law office needs every kind of software. Factors such as the business’ size and the number and types of clients they serve will all play a major role in trimming down that list initially.
Narrowing Down Your Legal Tech Software Options
Once you have a general idea of the type(s) of solution(s) you want, your next step is to answer a few questions about your practice, your objectives, and your expectations:
- • What are your firm’s overall strategy, mission, and business objectives?
• Has the practice undergone any recent changes?
• How does your current technology further the firm’s goals?
Finding the answers to these questions helps you determine which legal tech software makes the most sense for your firm, and for setting realistic expectations about what you can achieve with technology.
Prioritizing the Essentials
After you’ve identified which type(s) of software the practice needs, you need to establish which aspects of law firm technology are the most important to your business. Below are examples of some attributes to think about when comparing solutions:
-
• Can be up and running quickly
• Has an intuitive, easy-to-navigate interface
• Is accessible both in-office and remotely
• Offers a native mobile app
Don’t waste resources on implementing technology that isn’t right for you or your business. When you understand your firm’s unique needs, you can choose the right solution to support your practice now and into the future.
To learn more about LawPay and how we make it easy to securely accept payments, visit lawpay.com/aba.
This content is advertising.
